“One Step Up” is one of Bruce’s finest moments as singer, songwriter, and actor. It’s a brutally honest, self-aware inner dialogue of a man about to stray, and it gave rise to one of the most emotional performances I’ve ever seen live.
“Brilliant Disguise” is a nakedly intimate, exquisitely written, and intensely performed exploration of self-doubt and the mysteries and insecurities of relationships.
A 1960s doo-wop break-up song inspired one of Bruce’s most openly confessional songs about his depressive struggles.
The most mature and intimate song on Tunnel of Love cloaks itself in carnival imagery and telegraphs things to come.
“Walk Like a Man” is the conclusion to Bruce’s “Daddy Trilogy,” an underplayed and under-recognized masterpiece of songwriting.
One of the rarest and most revealing songs on Tunnel of Love, “Cautious Man” is an overlooked, unsettling gem.
The rocking arrangement and blunt language of “Spare Parts” overwhelms the dilemma at its center its moral of redemptive self-empowerment. Like “Born in the U.S.A.,” its true power emerges when it’s performed quietly.
The brightest song on Tunnel of Love is a hat tip to a classic 1955 romance film.
Easily one of Bruce’s best songs and most universally resonant, “Tougher Than the Rest” celebrates resilience and second chances–and we all need a little bit of both.
With a sly hat tip to a 1955 blues classic, “Ain’t Got You” signaled a turning point in Bruce’s songwriting and love life.